Keel leads local church

"I definitely feel that I'm supposed to be here doing this right now. It doesn't mean that I'm the best person or the most qualified, it just means that for some reason I was supposed to do this and I believe that. I know that to be true."

Robert "Bob" Keel has taken on various roles in the community in recent years. He served on the Saratoga Town Council for two-and-a-half years, has coached youth and Saratoga Middle School basketball and is a physician assistant for Memorial Hospital of Carbon County.

Now, Keel has taken on a role as bishop at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Saratoga. While, in other denominations, someone might apply for the position or go to school to become the spiritual leader of a church, it works a little different with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

While the Platte Valley is its own ward-one which covers Walcott, Saratoga, Encampment and Ryan Park-it is part of a larger stake. The Laramie stake oversees the Platte Valley, Rawlins and Hanna. According to Keel, the stake advisor and his counselors consult and pray on who should fill a bishop position in a certain ward.

Once they have received their direction, they fill out the application and send it to the Church President, who since 2018 has been Russell M. Nelson.

"They review that, they pray about it and seek inspiration for Jesus Christ-because we believe that Jesus Christ leads our church-and if they feel like the answer is 'yes' then they let the stake president know," said Keel. "The stake president will come over and sit down and interview the person that they just got approval for. That person does not know that's coming."

Keel was called by the Laramie stake president, Cory Allen, on March 13. Allen asked to speak with Keel and his wife that Sunday. It was during that meeting that Allen informed Keel of the position.

"My wife and I were surprised, didn't expect it coming, and we thought and prayed about it and accepted eventually," Keel said. "Typically, a week or two later, is when the stake actually comes. They lay their hands on your head and set you apart as the bishop."

As bishop, Keel leads 271 members in four different communities, though there are exceptions. If a member or several members within his ward are native Spanish speakers, they are able to attend church in Rawlins where there is a Spanish speaking ward.

"We try to have people worship in their native language because that's the best way," said Keel. "So, if we can, we do that."

Keel compares the role of bishop to that of being a father, except the size of the family is quite larger. Along with leading church on Sunday and other activities through the week, the bishop also has the duty of counseling members through items of personal sin. Even though he was appointed by the stake president and the church president, Keel admits that he felt a little unprepared.

"I felt really inadequate. I thought 'Man, there's so many other men in this ward that could be a bishop' and so it was really humbling," Keel said. "Part of the prayer process is to find out for myself if my calling really came from my savior, Jesus Christ. If it did, I have to trust that he's going to make up for all of my weaknesses."

Since taking on the role of bishop nearly a month ago, Keel said that he has found himself busier than he's ever been. Despite that, he reminds himself of a saying; "You are tired in the work but not of the work".

"I definitely feel that. I am tired and exhausted every day. The first Sunday I was bishop, I pulled into my house, it was after dark and I just thought 'I'm just going to sit here for a second' and then I woke up three or four hours later," said Keel. "I'm tired in doing what my Father wants me to do, but I'm not tired of doing it."

At the moment, Keel appears to be settling into the new position and balancing it with his work life. A major part of his role as bishop is to get involved with the youth of the church, those between 11 and 18 years old. Following a recent activities planning session, Keel played dodgeball and ate ice cream with the young men and young women of the church.

Said Keel, "I think that's important that you gain the confidence of those people that you're trying to lead and one way of doing that is taking off all of the layers and letting them see you for who you are."